


Home Sick

by spark_plugx



Category: Persona 5
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, M/M, Mutual Pining, No P5R spoilers, Pining, but normal p5 spoilers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-28
Updated: 2020-07-28
Packaged: 2021-03-06 01:01:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 13,024
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25574740
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/spark_plugx/pseuds/spark_plugx
Summary: A year was such a long time, why did this past year slip through his fingers so quickly? Like all the sand in Futaba’s palace, he couldn’t get a firm grasp, and now it was all gone. His time with his friends, his time with Ryuji, was all up.
Relationships: Kurusu Akira/Sakamoto Ryuji, Persona 5 Protagonist/Sakamoto Ryuji
Comments: 10
Kudos: 77





	Home Sick

**Author's Note:**

> This has been sitting on my flashdrive for OVER TWO YEARS! WHY HAS IT TAKEN ME SO LONG TO FINISH AND POST THIS!! ANYWAY I really hope you guys enjoy this!! Thanks for reading!!!! 
> 
> ALSO: I have not played P5R So there are NO spoilers from that game in this and please do not spoil anything in the comments!!! If you like this, please check out my other Persona 5 series featuring some dumb teen boys in love
> 
> ALSO sorry for some weird spacing issues in the start like no matter what I tried it wouldnt go away soooooooo

Akira stretched his legs when the group got out of the van. The salt air felt great in his lungs and he smiled when he felt the sun on his skin. They were parked outside of a small inn that they would be staying in over the next few days as part of this vacation.  
“It’s a little chilly to spend time in the water, but there’s tons of stuff to do in the town,” Ann said, getting her bag out of the back of the van. Morgana hopped out of the van and stretched, yawning as he did so. He trotted over to Akira as he set down his bag for the cat to climb into.

“We’ll go swimming when you visit for summer vacation,” Haru said once everyone was out of the van. The group went quiet. They had forgotten that the end of this vacation would be them dropping Akira off in his hometown. 

“Of course,” Akira said, trying to brighten the mood. He didn’t want to focus on the fact that he only got a few more days with his best friends. He also didn’t want them to know that he was dreading going back. He wanted them to think that he would be okay during the year he would be away from them.

“We’ll plan a really fun trip!” Ryuji put his arm around Akira’s shoulders, smiling wide. “But for now, let’s focus on enjoying this trip!”

\--  
“Why is Morgana bunking with me?” Yusuke questioned while they stood in the lobby of the small inn. They had finished checking in and were now deciding rooms. 

“The rooms with a single bed were cheaper. We didn’t want to blow the budget just to get two bed rooms when one bed is big enough for two, when morgana is a cat,” Makoto explained. Akira wondered what the budget was. They had each made a lot of money from the shadows before their final fight. He had put all of his in savings so he could come back for college. “Plus, we drew names. Least Morgana won’t take up much bed space.”

“You think that now,” Akira said, remembering how Morgana took up half the bed at Leblanc. 

Leblanc. His home. Why couldn’t he go back to that dusty attic that he had made his home over the past year? 

“Good thing I got you,” Ryuji said to him, pushing away the darkening thoughts that were clouding his mind. Akira nodded at him, relieved he got to bunk with Ryuji. He wanted to spend as much time with Ryuji as he could before he had to leave.

“We’ll make their room the hangout room then. They’ll only be one person’s things, so we won’t be crowded or tripping over crap,” Futaba suggested and they all agreed with the suggestion.

“Let’s go put our stuff up and explore the town. I’m getting hungry!” Morgana said from Akira’s bag, stomach growling. 

\--  
They were all sitting on the floor in Yusuke and Morgana’s room later that night. They had spent the day exploring the town and scoping out what they could do for the remainder of their trip. Makoto and Futaba had a page long list of ideas and they were going over the list with the group, letting everyone chime in on what they wanted to do. 

“There’s an aquarium here?” Yusuke questioned after Makoto read it off the list. He was munching down on some melon bread they picked up at the convenience store before they had returned to the inn. “That would be fun, the beauty of underwater creatures will spark my creativity.” 

“Let’s go to the aquarium tomorrow,” Morgana suggested, perched up on the bed. 

“You just wanna see all the fish,” Ryuji rolled his eyes, sitting next to Akira. They were all packed together in tight circle shape. Ryuji’s knee bumped Akira’s and he sent Akira an apologetic smile. Akira didn’t mind, he liked having Ryuji so close.  
The hardest part about going back was not seeing Ryuji every day. He was going to miss everyone, but Ryuji was his best friend; his first friend. They did everything together. He was going to have to get used to doing everything by himself again. At least he would have Morgana, but he felt guilty. His hometown was nowhere near as exciting and he knew Morgana would miss the others. He thought about talking to Morgana about it later. He didn’t want the cat regretting coming with him.  


“Is there an aquarium in your hometown?” Ann asked and he shook his head. “Then we’ll go! It’ll be fun to look at all the fish!”  


“Not to pry or derail the conversation, but what is your hometown like?” Haru asked, sitting with her legs crossed next to Futaba, who was hunched over her phone double checking her information about the aquarium.  
“I’m curious too. You’ve never talked about it much,” Makoto said and now the group was looking at him. He knew this was going to happen eventually, he wished he was more prepared for it. It had been easy to lie to them before when he could brush it off and talk about almost anything else that was going on, but now that they were all looking at him and there was no way out.  
“It’s okay,” Akira said, thinking of any redeeming qualities about the place. “There’s a good sushi bar a few streets down from my house.” He saw Morgana’s eyes light up and he smiled at the cat.  
He rubbed his knees through his jeans, not wanting to say much more. He didn’t want to tell them how much happier he was here—with them. No, he had to let them think he would be fine. That was another reason he didn’t want Morgana coming back with him. As much as he would love having a friend, he couldn’t let Morgana see him so miserable. 

“That sounds boring, you definitely didn’t sell me on it,” Futaba said, looking up from her phone to glance at Akira.

“Any place is boring compared to Toyko,” Ryuji came to Akira’s aid again. “Not his fault. Anyway, everything good with the aquarium?” He moved the topic towards Futaba and she read off the site, telling them where it was and what there was to do there. Akira silently thanked Ryuji; he was sure the male could tell he wasn’t comfortable talking about his hometown. 

“Enough chatting. We need to head to bed,” Morgana said once they had gone over their plans for tomorrow. Everyone groaned, but said goodnight to each other. Akira followed Ryuji down the hall to their room. He changed into his sleep clothes and laid down while Ryuji showered.

Maybe he could ask Sojiro if he could stay. He had enough money to pay rent if Sojiro wanted him to pay. It wasn’t the first time he considered asking the older man, but he always chickened out before he even picked up the phone. He took off his glasses and set them on the bed side table. Ryuji finished his shower and came out of the bathroom in a shirt and his boxers, yawning as he turned off the light and jumped onto the bed. He and Akira bounced, both laughing.

“Are you excited about going back home?” Ryuji asked once he laid down. 

“What?” Akira asked, turning to face Ryuji. Even in the dark, Akira could see Ryuji’s furrowed brows as he stared at the ceiling.

“I-I mean, I know you probably left some friends behind or something…” Ryuji explained himself and Akira detected a little jealously in his tone, but also sadness. “I’ve never really asked about your life before coming here, there’s a side to you I don’t know.” 

‘A pathetic side’ Akira thought bitterly and turned to look at the ceiling. 

“The only friends I’ve ever left behind will be you guys,” Akira admitted, keeping his face blank as Ryuji looked at him. He couldn’t let them know. “It’s not an important side, trust me. What animal are you excited to see tomorrow?” 

“Ah, I’m excited to see the jellyfish!” Ryuji exclaimed and begin talking about the last time he had gone to the aquarium. Akira turned so he was watching Ryuji instead of looking at the ceiling. Ryuji was so happy as he talked about getting his mom something with a dolphin on it—this time he wouldn’t have to borrow money from Ann—and Akira couldn’t help but smile softly. 

\--  
“Woah!” Ryuji pressed his face against the jellyfish tank, eyes wide as saucers. Akira stood off to the side, smiling at him. The blond was so excited to see every fish, especially the jellyfish, and so was Morgana. The cat was actually hanging out of the bag on Ryuji’s shoulder. Morgana claimed that Akira was too slow so he handed his bag over to Ryuji and let him carry the impatient cat around.

Akira had never seen the two get along so well before.

“So yummy looking…” Morgana sighed, pawing at the glass. Akira came up and patted his head and the cat sunk back into the bag to avoid being seen with a whine.

“This is so cool! The penguins were so cute, I wonder if Yusuke is done sketching them?” Ryuji questioned, thinking about the male they left behind with Futaba at the penguin exhibit. He had been sketching almost everything since they arrived, not that anyone was complaining. They planned to be at the aquarium all day. “Anyway, what’s next?” 

“Otters,” Akira said when he saw the sign pointing to the otters. “Come on,” he looped his arm through Ryuji and dragged him down the round hallway towards another tank. 

“Woah dude, excited much?” Ryuji asked, letting Akira drag him around. He looked at the tank as an otter swam by. Akira’s eyes lit up and he pulled Ryuji closer, watching the otter play with his toys. 

“They’re really cute,” Akira said with a light blush across his cheeks, a little embarrassed by his own excitement. “Otters actually remind me of someone…”

“Really? Who?” Ryuji questioned, glancing at Akira before looking back at the otter as it splashed the other otters in the tank playfully. They all chased after the other otter, racing around the tank together. He chuckled and shook his head. “What a little shit…”

“You,” Akira said and started laughing when Ryuji shot him a look, surprised at Akira’s answer. “They’re cute and fun, the resemblance is strong.”

“W-What?!” Ryuji asked and Akira just kept laughing. He was surprised that he said that out loud, but Ryuji didn’t seem annoyed nor did he turn away. He only sighed with a defeated smile on his face and bumped his shoulder with Akira’s. “Fine fine, I’m an otter. They are pretty cute.”

“Ryuji reminds me of one of those flat fish that lays in the dirt all day,” Morgana spoke up and the two were back to bickering. Akira rolled his eyes and straightened his glasses.

“I’m going to miss this,” Akira mumbled to himself. The two’s arguing was annoying at times before, but after everything they went through, it was a little endearing. They mostly did it to mess with each other, there was hardly any heat behind their words anymore. The two stopped insulting each other when they heard Akira speak. Akira was staring at the glass, not realizing the two had heard him. 

“I’m…I’m goin’ miss this too,” Ryuji admitting, catching Akira’s attention. “But you’ll come back for college and I’m goin’ visit you whenever I can,” Ryuji balled his hand filled with determination. “We’ll make it work, yeah?” 

Akira wanted to hug Ryuji in this moment but only nodded his head, biting his lip.

A year was such a long time, why did this past year slip through his fingers so quickly? Like all the sand in Futaba’s palace, he couldn’t get a firm grasp, and now it was all gone. 

“Wanna go grab a snack? They had these cool whale shaped cookies in the lobby,” Ryuji put his arm around his shoulder again, careful not to smack Morgana as he ducked back into Akira’s bag, still hanging off of Ryuji’s shoulders.

“Y-yeah! Let’s go get a cookie!” Morgana joined in, both trying to cheer Akira up. 

“And there’s a giftshop. Maybe they have something with otters on it for you?” Ryuji suggested, guiding him towards the lobby. 

“Thanks you two,” Akira letting Ryuji guide him. He didn’t want to make them worried, but he gave in for a little bit. Ryuji smiled at him and he passed the bag to Akira once they were in the lobby. He went to concession area, going to get the cookies. 

“Think about where you want to eat tomorrow! You can pick lunch since Haru and Ryuji picked dinner for tonight,” Morgana offered, trying to take Akira’s mind off of leaving. 

“Two whale-y big cookies,” Ryuji joked when he returned with two cookies in his hand, laughing at his horrible joke. Akira and Morgana both groaned at the pun. 

“Dolphin-itly,” Akira took the cookie and Ryuji almost dropped his cookie while he laughed at Akira’s pun. Morgana groaned at the two of them, hiding in the bag while others stared at them. 

“Oh! Hey, let’s go to the underwater tunnel. They’ve got whales and sharks in there,” Ryuji suggested, nodding towards the dark entrance that led to the tube. Akira nodded his head and they walked over to it, catching Makoto, Ann, and Haru before they entered it.

“Oooo, let me have a bite,” Ann said when she saw the cookie in Ryuji’s hand. He hid behind Akira, frowning at her. “It’s a big cookie! You don’t need it all.”

“Last time I let you have a bite of my food, you took a whole chunk,” Ryuji complained, but broke off a small piece and handed it to her to keep her from complaining. “If I’m an otter, Ann is a shark,” he whispered to Akira, both of them laughing.

“What are you two laughing about?” Makoto asked as they got on the moving walkway, light from the tanks brightening up the darkness. 

“Whale!” Morgana exclaimed, almost falling out of the bag as the whale shark swam above them. “It has a huge mouth! Think of all the fish it can eat in one gulp!”

“Guess Morgana is a whale shark then,” Haru said, standing next to Akira on the walkway. They both laughed at that, Ryuji and Morgana both too amazed by the whale shark to hear the two of them. 

“Futaba is a hermit crab, if we are all getting animals,” Makoto turned to look at the two of them when she heard them laughing. They both paused and stared at Makoto before all three of them started laughing. 

“I heard my name!” Futaba popped up behind them, startling the whole group. “I saw you guys go in here so I booked it.”

“She almost knocked over a child,” Yusuke said, looking to be a little out of breath. “This place is magnificent! Look at all this life!” 

They continued through the tunnel, talking and laughing the whole time. Once they were finished, they went through the giftshop and had lunch. 

“How many of those does your mom have?” Ann asked when she returned to their table after throwing her trash away. Ryuji was holding onto a dolphin plush he got for his mom when they were in the gift shop. 

“This is the second one I got her!” Ryuji defended himself as he stood, keeping a firm arm around the plush. “It was a good deal!” Akira held his otter plush tightly against his chest. He told Ryuji he didn’t need to buy it for him, but the blond ignored him and bought it for him anyway. 

“Let’s do the tunnel again,” Futaba said and they gathered up their trash from lunch and threw it away before going back to the tunnel. This time Akira stood next to Ryuji and, while the fish and other creatures were beautiful as they swam around them, his attention was on Ryuji. 

Ryuji had an awe-stuck expression on his face, the light from the tank hitting him perfectly. Yusuke was going on about the beauty of the fish, but he was missing something far more beautiful.  
He didn’t want to leave.  
\--  
“Were your parents okay with us keeping you for a few extra days?” Yusuke asked while they waited on their food to be brought to them. Akira paused mid-sip. He hadn’t told his parents that he was extending his stay and that he was being brought home by car, not train. Despite this, they hadn’t contacted him. Maybe Sojiro told them? He knew they hadn’t spoken in a year, but they must be worried that he wasn’t home yet, right? 

“Yeah,” he replied, realizing he was taking too long to answer such an easy question. He pet the fabric on the otter plush that Ryuji had bought him at the aquarium. It was so soft and comforting, it would have to do as his Ryuji replacement for the next year.  
Pathetic.

Makoto’s lingering gaze on him made Akira uneasy. There was no way she knew about his strained relationship with his parents. 

“What do your parents do?” Makoto asked. He could tell from her expression that she was forming a theory in her head. That was not good. That was really not good.

“My dad is an editor and my mom is a doctor,” he answered, gaining the attention of the rest of his friends. 

“Woah, I didn’t know your mom was a doctor!” Ryuji exclaimed, eyes wide with surprise. “That’s really cool!” 

“Is your dad an editor at a magazine company?” Ann asked from across the table, turning from her conversation with Haru. 

“He works for a publishing company, mostly does books,” he replied as the waitress came back with their food. Perfect way to end the conversation.

“So good!” Haru sighed happily and they all agreed. They begin talking about the aquarium again, then the food, then about what they wanted to do the next day. Akira excused himself before dessert arrived and went outside.He dialed Sojiro’s number and listened as it rang. 

“What’s going on, kid?” Sojiro asked when he answered. 

“Hey Boss, uh…did you tell my parents about my detour?” He asked, watching people pass him on the street. 

“No, was I supposed to?” Sojiro asked and Akira’s gut dropped. “Did you not tell them?” Sojiro continued and Akira kept silent, trying to hide how much it hurt, even though Sojiro couldn’t see his face. “Kid, have they not contacted you?”

Akira couldn’t lie to Sojiro. 

“No, they haven’t. I thought it was because you told them, but, I guess they’re just busy,” he answered. Why was he so upset? He was used to this. A year away didn’t change anything. “Thanks, I’ll contact them.”

“Akira…” Sojiro started and Akira prayed he would tell him to come back home. “Enjoy your trip,” the older man said instead and the line went dead. 

Akira slowly lowered his phone from his ear and slid it into his pocket. He stared hard at the ground, forcing everything back. His friends were inside the restaurant, laughing and smiling. He couldn’t return with red eyes and salty tears. 

“Hey man, dessert arrived,” Ryuji appeared at his side, startling him. “Woah, hey, are you okay?” Ryuji had a way of making him talk. He had said too much last night; Akira needed to watch himself. 

“Yeah,” Akira replied and offered Ryuji a smile, looking to settle the blond’s nerves. “Let’s hurry up and get back in there before Ann eats our dessert.”  
\--

Akira texted his mom, not expecting a reply. Still, he wanted to give her a chance to be a good parent. Maybe she just got her days mixed up? His dad was probably out of town, he did a lot of traveling so his mom was his best bet. 

“That dessert was so sweet,” Ryuji put his arm around Akira’s shoulder while they walked back to the inn. Ryuji had become touchier since he got back from juvenile hall. Akira loved it. He leaned into Ryuji’s side, taking all he could get before he was alone again. He was going to miss the blond so much. He couldn’t stop thinking about leaving them, leaving Ryuji. 

He didn’t expect to make friends he couldn’t bear to leave and he definitely didn’t expect to fall in love.

They took the long way back to the inn, choosing to walk near the beach and enjoy the sunset together. 

“Time for second dessert,” Ann smiled when the inn came into view.

“More?” Yusuke asked, wondering how much Ann could eat, not like he had any room to talk.

“The kitchen at the inn is still opened. I’m getting me more cake. This is a vacation,” Ann nodded her head and no one tried to oppose her.

Once they got to the inn, she headed to the right to order dessert. The others went to Yusuke’s room to hang out again. Ann then soon joined them after with a tray of deserts. Akira grabbed a piece of coffee cake, pleased he got two desserts. 

“Hey, how come you never talked about your parents before?” Ann asked with mouth full of cake. “An editor and a doctor, those are cool jobs”

“But very time consuming,” Makoto added and Akira felt the cake in his mouth go bitter. Couldn’t they let this go?

“A bit, yeah,” Akira kept eating his cake and avoided Ryuji’s eyes. The blond was looking at him with such a worried expression. “I’m used to it so it doesn’t bother me.” 

“Don’t it get…lonely?” Ryuji asked and Akira kept his gaze on the plant behind Yusuke. Those big brown eyes would be his downfall. 

Akira shrugged and finished his cake. “Not much I could do about it. Being alone never bothered me, and I had friends at school.”

“Really? Who?” Haru asked and she didn’t mean it in a ‘you’re lying to us’ way, she genuinely sounded curious. “Maybe we can meet them when we visit?”

“Yes, I would like to hear about your other friends and you previous school life as well,” Yusuke agreed. Akira kept digging himself deeper into this hole. 

“It’s a nice school. I don’t like the uniform colors all that much but…” Akira trailed off, not sure what they wanted him to say. Did they want him to tell them that he was happy to be going back? That he had tons of friends that missed him? 

He fiddled with his bangs, a nervous habit he still hadn’t kicked. “My classmates were nice but…I’ve never had friends like you guys before.”

“I would hope not, we are unique,” Yusuke said with a chuckle. 

“Yeah, ain’t no way you’ll ever find people like us,” Ryuji said from his left and patted Akira’s shoulder. His hand rested on Akira’s shoulder, feeling heavier than it actually was. “But you’ll be okay? Right? Ain’t goin’ be too lonely without us around?”

They all stared at him again and he felt horrible. They cared so much about him and he was bottling it all up and lying about it. 

“I…” he took a deep breath, he couldn’t hold this in any longer. He had to—was that ringing? 

Everyone started looking around, trying to figure out whose phone was ringing. 

“Oh! It’s yours!” Ann exclaimed when she saw Akira’s phone vibrating on the coffee table. He had tossed in there before he sat down. Everyone he talked to was in this room so he didn’t need it. “It’s your mom!” She grabbed it and answered the call before tossing it to him. 

He caught it smoothly with one hand and made a move to get up, though it was difficult due to how crammed they were in the room.

“Akira?” His mom was so loud on the phone, the whole room could hear her. “I’m confused by the text you sent me.”

“Hello mom. What do you mean?” He kept his tone flat, trying to snake around everyone and their plates and napkins on the floor. He really needed to take this call outside. 

“You’re not due back home for another two months, correct?” She asked and he could hear the sounds of the hospital behind her. Meanwhile, the chatter in the room stopped immediately. 

Why was this happening to him in front of his friends?

“T-two months?” he couldn’t help but stutter. His mom was playing, wasn’t she? “No, I was supposed to be home a few days ago.” 

“Really? Hm…” she went quiet and he risked a glance around the room. Everyone’s faces were a mixed between surprise and worry. “You know how busy it is at work for me. I haven’t been home all week to check the calendar and your father is out of town again. Are you sure you were supposed to be back so soon?”

“Yes, it’s been a full year since I’ve left,” Akira kept his expression blank, at least he was trying to. He caught Ryuji’s gaze and it took everything in him to tear his eyes away from the blond to glare at the ground. Ryuji’s eyes were heavy with confusion and concern. It made the pain in his chest hurt even more. He managed get through the clutter and went out to the small balcony and shut the door behind him. “You forgot when I was coming home?”

“I didn’t forget, I was just off a few—“

“Two months,” he cut her off, not meaning to be so short and rude with her, especially not with his friends on the other side of a thin glass door, but after a year of fighting against shitty adults, he couldn’t hold back. “You were two months off, mom.” 

“You know how busy I am at work, Akira,” his mother shot back, patience already wearing thin on the boy. “Just text me when you’re certain what day you’ll be home. I can’t make any promises about being off, or your dad being home, but maybe we can all go get dinner together sometime after. I need to get back to work, it’s very busy. Have a good night,” with that and a click his mom was gone. He sighed and entered the room again. By the looks on everyone’s faces, they had heard the entire exchange.

“Akira…” Makoto spoke after a tense few moments of silence. 

“I need to go lay down. I’ll see you guys at breakfast tomorrow,” he made sure his room key was in his pocket before he muttered a ‘good night’ and left the room quickly. 

He didn’t want to run away from them but he needed to be alone. 

How could she be two months off? What kind of mom forgot her son—a son she hadn’t seen in a year—was coming home? He got his name cleared and all the pressure off of his family but it still wasn’t enough for them. He opened the door to his room and didn’t bother turning on the lights as he changed into his sleep clothes and collapsed onto the bed. He had been holding it in for so long, he wanted to scream. What had he done to deserve this? He wasn’t sure how long he laid in the silent dark room. He wasn’t sleepy so he just stared at the ceiling, trying to gather the courage to face his friends tomorrow at breakfast. He pulled the covers over his head when he heard the room’s door open. The light didn’t flick on but he heard someone enter. 

“I’m sorry,” Ryuji said, shutting the door gently behind him. He shuffled to his bag and got changed, almost stubbing his toe on the coffee table. Akira was just a lump under the comforter. 

“Ryuji, you didn’t do anything wrong.”

Ryuji relaxed when he heard a response from Akira. He had been nervous that the male wouldn’t want to talk to him at all. The team had voted that he come talk to their leader, since it was his room and he was the closest to Akira. He walked over to the bed and hesitated. 

“But I didn’t do anything right either, man. I never asked you about your home life. I wasn’t there when you needed me,” Akira kept his head hidden as Ryuji continued to talk. He felt the bed dip on the other side and knew Ryuji was sitting down. “You don’t have to bottle this all up.” Ryuji wanted to reach out and touch Akira, but he kept his hands to himself.

“I shouldn’t have lied,” Akira sighed, defeated. 

“Why didn’t you tell us?” Ryuji asked, looking down at where he knew Akira’s face was. 

“And have all of you worried about me for the next year?” Akira questioned, not wanting to pull the covers down. “What was I supposed to say when you asked me about my home life?” 

“The truth!” Ryuji told him, worry in his tone. 

Akira yanked the covers down off his face and stared at Ryuji, who seemed startled by the sudden movement. He sat up, balling his fists in the sheets. “My parents are workaholics, they’re never home. I always end up eating dinner alone. My school is competitive, there’s not much room for friendships. I only spoke to my classmates outside of school if we had a study group or someone needed help with their homework. Other than that, I was by myself. There were some days I didn't speak. That’s why I was so quiet when we first met. I wasn’t use to talking so much,” he admitted in one breath, feeling tears form in the corner of his eyes. “Once in middle school, I forgot what my voice sounded like. I started talking to myself a lot after that, I didn’t want to forget it again.”

Ryuji didn’t say anything so Akira kept going. 

“Y-You guys made my life so fun. Now what am I going to do with all that silence? I won’t have any of you to fill it. It’ll be even worse now, even with my record cleaned they’ll still talk about me. They’ll ignore me. I’ll become that miserable quiet boy again, I don’t want that. I know I’ll have Morgana but I honestly…I can’t drag him into that mess. I don’t want him to see me like that…I didn’t want any of you to see me like this,” he gestured to himself as his felt the first tear roll down his cheek.  
“The shit thing is my parents didn’t even speak to me for this past year. They were so disappointed in me…so disappointed that the day I left, neither of them were home,” he confessed. Akira didn’t want to talk about his parents but he couldn’t stop himself. It was all rushing out of his mouth, as if he would never get a chance like this again. “They still won’t be there when I get back, still won’t look me in the eye. They forgot all about me. Why don’t they notice me?” He looked into Ryuji’s eyes before he rubbed at his face, trying to get rid of the tears. “I was so empty all the time. I don’t want to be empty again. And I know it’s just a year, and I know you all will visit me, but it’s not the same, Ryuji. It’s not the same…” his voice trailed off as he felt himself run out of steam.

Ryuji was staring at him, eyebrows furrowed, looking like he was trying hard not to start crying too. He engulfed him in a hug, strong arms wrapping around Akira and pulling him against his chest. 

“I’m going to miss you, Ryuji,” Akira cried, hugging Ryuji tightly, pressing his face against his friend’s shoulder. “I know…I said I’d be fine but I’m not…” 

Ryuji didn’t say anything as he let Akira cry on his shoulder. Akira felt Ryuji’s hands run up and down his back in a soothing manner and it made him cry harder. He wasn’t sure how much time had passed but he steadily calmed down and his tears stopped. Ryuji was still holding him and the realization that he had told Ryuji everything then proceeded to cry on him hit Akira. He felt embarrassed; no one had ever seen him cry before. 

No one had ever comforted him like that before either.

However, exhaustion outweighed the embarrassment and his eyelids felt so heavy. He was content to fall asleep in Ryuji’s arms. All the pressure he had put on himself and the issues with his parents melted away the more Ryuji rubbed his back. Akira kept his head against Ryuji’s shoulder, not wanting to ruin the moment. He knew he shouldn’t see the gesture as anything more than a friend comforting a friend—because that’s all it was—but it felt so intimate. 

“I can’t let you go back,” Ryuji said, stopping his rubbing motions. Akira turned his head and looked at Ryuji with wide eyes, heart skipping a beat. “I thought I could but….I can’t, not after you told me all of that. What kind of parents…?” Ryuji stopped himself, trying to prevent himself from getting worked up. 

Akira felt like he was going to start crying a second time. Ryuji started rubbing his back again—Akira wondered if he felt how tense he had become and was trying to calm him down again.

Akira was thankful for it. He hated being so vulnerable like this but he couldn't bring himself to try and mask it. "I don't..." he started, his voice strained from crying. Ryuji hesitated, hands pausing on his back once more as he waited for Akira to finish. "I don't wanna leave," he finished and Ryuji resumed moving his hands.

"We'll figure something out..." Ryuji replied as Akira closed his eyes. He forced them back open, fighting against the sleep the best he could. He couldn't fall asleep on Ryuji like this! 

Speaking of Ryuji, he was talking. Akira tried to focus on what he was saying but his brain wasn't processing all the words. The words were getting jumbled in his head.

"You....I...can't....please," was all Akira heard before his eyes closed and everything went quiet. 

\--

Akira groaned as he awoke the next morning. He had an awful headache and his mouth was dry. He sighed into his pillow before he pushed himself to sit up. He glanced around and realized Ryuji wasn't there. 

Had he scared him off? No, there was no way. Ryuji was the one who hugged him in the first place and held him until he fell asleep. He wouldn't run away. Akira tapped his phone and the screen lit up. It was mid-morning and there was a text from Ryuji. 

'Hey I wanted to let you sleep in. The others and me are eatin' breakfast so if you're feeling up to it come join us!' 

The text had been sent 10 minutes ago so they were still eating breakfast. Akira got out of bed and went to the bathroom, needing a shower before he faced everyone. He turned on the water and stripped down, rubbing his eyes. Going down and facing them was either going to be awkward, or easy.

Probably awkward.

\--

Akira saw the others at their table. Ryuji was talking animatedly as usual, hands gesturing to follow whatever he was talking about. Futaba and Makoto both seemed to look skeptical.

"Good morning!" Ann chirped, interrupting the previous conversation when she saw him approach their table. A shower made him feel better but he didn't want to talk to them about what happened last night. At least not yet. 

"Yusuke is still asleep, we were taking bets on who we thought would come down first," Ryuji said and patted the seat next to him, as if Akira wasn't already planning on sitting next to him. He sat down and Haru smiled, sitting across from him. 

"He stayed up drawing, I think," Haru said as she cut into her omelet. 

"I’m sure he’ll be down soon," Makoto said and took a sip of her drink. 

Akira felt relieved. So they weren’t going to gang up on him right now. Maybe Ryuji had told them everything he had said last night and they were trying to figure out a way to bring it up? That wouldn't surprise him if that was the plan. 

"Did we decide on today's plans?" Futaba asked and Akira looked down when he felt something touch his leg. Morgana was looking up at him, trying to stay hidden under the table. Morgana stayed put beside his leg, his warm bringing a sense of comfort to Akira. The server came over and took Akira's order, leaving him with a glass of water. 

"I don't think we did," Makoto replied as Akira gulped down his water. "Geez, you must have been thirsty."

"A little," Akira said and glanced at Ryuji, who was stabbing a piece of fruit on his plate with his fork mindlessly. "Are you okay?" Akira asked quietly while Ann started making suggestions for what to do today. 

"Wha-? Yeah dude I'm fine. I should be asking you that," Ryuji kept his voice low and stopping playing with his food. Akira felt like something was off about him. Maybe he was still thinking about what Akira had told him last night? 

He needed to talk to him about it, no matter how awkward or painful it might be. 

"I'm fine, sorry for falling asleep on you like that," Akira apologized and Ryuji blushed.

"D-dude it was nothin'! All that matters is that you're feelin' better," Ryuji said and took a sip of his drink as the server came out with Akira's bowl of fruit. Akira stared at the fruit, slowly picking up his fork and digging in. He wanted to ask Ryuji was else he had  
said last night and if he had meant it when he said he couldn't let Akira go, but this wasn't the time nor place.

“So everyone is cool with going shopping?” Makoto questioned the group. Akira hadn’t heard anything that was discussed but he nodded his head in agreement. Wondering around a mall or a market didn’t sound bad, anything was fine with him as long as he was with his friends. 

“Great! It’ll be a lot of fun!” Ann cheered, finishing her juice. 

\--  
“This is a giant shopping district,” Makoto muttered, looking at the map that was displayed near the vending machines at one of the entrances of the outdoor shopping mall. “Beauty stores, clothing stores, hardware stores, stationary stores…it almost rivals Harajuku.” 

“There’s something for everyone,” Akira added, looking over her shoulder. He needed a relaxing day after everything that happened last night. “The only problem is what to do first.”

“Gaming store!” Futaba exclaimed, shooting her hand up in the air, like she was answering a question in class. 

“Why don’t we make a path?” Haru suggested before anyone else could yell out where they wanted to go. “We can start here and follow a path so we can see all the stores. We should finish at least half of the mall around lunch time. We can break for lunch and  
then finish the second half.”

“Great idea, Haru,” Morgana said from Akira’s bag. “Better than running all over the place trying to go to specific stores.” 

“Then let’s start!” Ann led the group with a smile. 

Akira wasn’t in the mood for shopping, but being out in the fresh air with his friends made him feel a lot better. No one brought up the incident and for that he was thankful. He knew it would be brought up eventually, but right now it was nice to just enjoy what time they had left together. 

“Are you okay?” Yusuke asked Ryuji, turning his head to look at him. He was towards the back of the group with Futaba, who was scanning the stores for anything that would interest her. “You’re strangely quiet.”

“What?” Ryuji questioned and then shrugged. “I dunno, shopping isn’t exactly my strong point,” he replied, sticking his hands in his pockets. “I’m busy thinkin’ ‘bout lunch.”

“We just ate,” Makoto said, wondering where Ryuji stored all the food he ate. “How you and Yusuke can constantly eat is beyond me.”

“Food is such an amazing thing. It can inspire you with just one taste,” Yusuke started, going on a spiel about food in art. Akira nudged Ryuji and offered him a smile, which seemed to perk the blond up more. 

Was Ryuji upset about what happened last night? Akira wanted to ask him, but it still wasn’t a good time. He didn’t want Ryuji worrying about it all day though.

“Oh! Let’s go in that store,” Haru exclaimed, breaking Akira out of his thoughts before he could dive in too deep. 

\--  
“How many clothing stores do we gotta do into?” Ryuji asked, groaning when Ann picked out another store. “This is like the fifth one in row.”

“Ryuji’s right,” Akira agreed, not minding going into the stores, but it was starting to get a little boring. “Why don’t we split up for a bit?” 

“Great idea, I need to go to the pet store for some food for my lobsters,” Yusuke said, agreeing with their leader. 

“I want to go to that electronic store across from this one,” Futaba piped up, looking at Akira. 

“I’ll go with you,” Akira said, making her smile and pump her fists in the air. “Want to join us?” Akira asked Ryuji and he nodded his head, happy to get out of more clothing shopping. 

“I want to go with the girls,” Morgana said and Akira rolled his eyes, but passed his bag to Haru. He kept his wallet in his pockets so he didn’t need the bag.

“Okay, we’ll meet at the food court in an hour, that’ll give us time to check out the rest of the shops that we want to see,” Makoto said and went with Ann and Haru into the store. 

“Sweet! I was getting so boredddd!” Futaba hurried across the walkway to the electronic store with Akira and Ryuji close behind.

“This is way better than waitin’ outside the dressing room,” Ryuji replied, yawning. “What are we here to look at?”

“Everything,” Futaba’s glasses gleamed and Akira knew they would be spending the better part of the hour in this store. He was fine with that, it meant he got to talk to Ryuji without the others around them. Futaba immediately disappeared into the store, finally in her natural habitat. Akira stuck by Ryuji who was looking at some videos games.

“So, are you okay?” Akira asked, not sure how to bring up the conversation. “If it’s about last night, I’m sorry. My mom just threw me for a loop with her call.” 

“Dude, you don’t have to apologize. It’s not your fault,” Ryuji said with a sigh, shaking his head. “I would’ve been furious if…how you can even be calm after all of that is insane. Just thinkin’ ‘bout it gets me so angry!” 

“I’m used to it.”

“You shouldn’t be, though,” Ryuji replied, looking over at him. “It’s not fair, dude, after all the shit you’ve been through…” 

Akira wanted to hug Ryuji. He cared so much about him and to see Ryuji get this upset over his situation made him feel so loved. Speaking of hugging him…

“I know I said it earlier, but I am sorry about…last night, it was just a lot on my mind. I’m sorry for dumping all of that on you so suddenly,” Akira was sorry about that. He didn’t want to weigh Ryuji down with his problems, the guy already had enough problems as it was. 

“Dude, don’t apologize for that! I’m here for you. You’ve done so much for me…I want to return the favor,” Ryuji looked back the video game rack as he said this, the tips of his ears were pink. 

“Thank you, Ryuji. I just feel bad, I didn’t mean to fall asleep while you were talking to me,” Akira continued and Ryuji quickly turned his head to look at Akira, eyebrows raised. 

“So you didn’t hear anything I told you?” He asked and Akira shook his head. Ryuji let out a relieved sigh. “It wasn’t anything important! Have you talked to boss any? Maybe he’ll let you stay?”

Akira wanted to question about what Ryuji said to him last night, but it was obvious that he didn’t want to talk about it. “I spoke to him about my parents before dinner yesterday, I haven’t asked him if I could stay though. I don’t want to burden him more than I already have…but I guess it wouldn’t hurt to ask,” Akira said, wanting to comfort Ryuji. He wasn’t sure if he could ask that of Sojiro, no matter how much he wanted to. Besides, what if his parents said no? He couldn’t imagine why they would, but that was always a possibility. 

“Hey hey heyyyyyy,” Futaba came in between them forcefully, almost knocking Ryuji over. Akira hadn’t heard her approach them, but then again he had been completely engrossed with Ryuji. “Come check this out,” she grabbed both of their hands and pulled them to the back of the store, ending their conversation before it could get anywhere else.

Akira was relieved that Ryuji seemed to be in better spirits afterwards though. He was acting more like his usual self which made Akira feel better. 

“I think you bought too much,” Ryuji muttered when they left the store and saw Yusuke sitting on a bench with a large bag at his feet as he watched people walk by. “Is that all for your lobsters?”

“They were having a sale, it was a good deal,” Yusuke replied calmly, standing now and grabbing his bag. “I’m surprised you were able to drag Futaba out of there before the hour was up.”

“It was a struggle,” Akira joked and Futaba rolled her eyes while she typed rapidly on her phone. “We probably should head towards the food court.”

They looked at a few stores on their way to the food court. Akira was mostly looking at Futaba, whose eyes were glued to her phone. He had to keep directing her away from people, benches, or other things that could trip her up. 

“Pay attention,” he chided her. 

“What are you doin’ anyway?” Ryuji asked, now watching to Futaba to help Akira out. She glanced over at Ryuji. Akira couldn’t tell what her expression was but Ryuji nodded in response and didn’t say anything else about looking where she was going.

“Something important!” Futaba exclaimed as an explanation to Akira and Yusuke as the group arrived at the food court. They saw Ann waving them over to their table, bags all over it. “I guess you guys had a successful shopping trip.” 

“Sure did. How was your shopping? You seem to have bought a lot,” Haru directed this towards Yusuke, who was the only one with more than one bag in their little group. Yusuke explained his purchases and Morgana whined from Akira’s bag that Haru had set  
on a chair at the table. 

“I wish you bought me good cat food,” he complained, getting Akira’s attention. 

“Do you want to eat cat food? I was just going to keep splitting whatever I make for dinner with you,” Akira replied and Ryuji went quiet with his conversation with Makoto and Futaba. Mentioning home probably wasn’t the best topic.

“Morgana, you’re going to get chubby if you eat everything Akira makes,” Ann teased the cat, who shrieked and shook his head in response. Akira caught Ryuji’s eyes and smirked, then turned to look at Morgana again. 

“Guess I’ll have to buy you a leash so you can come jogging with me,” Akira joked, making Ryuji laugh while Morgana continued to freak out. 

“Alright you guys, time to settle down and get food,” Makoto rolled her eyes while they laugh loudly. 

After they ate, they continued with shopping. Akira turned his phone over and over in his hand, trying to figure out what he could say to Sojiro and his parents that would convince them to let him stay. He got a decent start, but his mind begin to wander to Ryuji holding him and telling him that he couldn’t let him go. 

He snapped out of his thoughts when Ryuji bumped his shoulder against his. He could figure out a plan later this evening, right now he needed to be present and enjoy the time he had left with them. 

\--

“My feet hurt,” Futaba complained after dinner when Haru suggested that they go for a walk on the beach. The sun had already set so the air was cool while they walked back to the inn.

“Fine, we’ll go on the walk tomorrow evening then,” Makoto shook her head, knowing one of them would end up having to carrying Futaba if they tried to go tonight. 

“You’ve been on your phone more than usual today, what have you been doing?” Yusuke questioned the orange haired girl.

“Yeah, usually you at least put it away for dinner,” Ann added, wondering what Futaba was up to. Futaba glanced at Akira before pushing her glasses up on her nose. 

“Got a new game, you know how I get super into them at the start!” She replied, slipping her phone into her pocket. “Let’s head up to the room, I’m chilly!” 

“I agree,” Ryuji shivered as a breeze hit them. Ann wrapped her arms around herself, both blondes cold. 

“You guys go on in, I’m going to grab those snacks we bought yesterday out of the van,” Makoto told them and they wasted no time running in, Yusuke trailing after them. 

“I’ll help,” Haru offered and Akira followed them. He knew Makoto was capable of taking care of herself, Haru too, but he still didn’t like the idea of leaving them in the parking lot so close to dark. 

“I wonder what game Futaba is playing,” Haru said while Makoto got the key out of her bag. 

“I’m not sure, you know how she is with her games,” Makoto replied, unlocking the van.

Akira said nothing in response, only catching her red eyes before looking at the van, now regretting being so worried about them. Makoto had to have planned this. How, he didn’t know, but she did. 

“Akira—“she started but stopped when he sighed, sticking his hands in his pockets. She looked to Haru, who nodded her head, encouraging Makoto to continue. “We should talk. About last night.” 

“I know,” Akira didn’t want to talk about it, but they deserved to know. They were worried about him and brushing it off and holding it in wouldn’t help anyone. 

“You’ve helped us so much with all of our problems. We want to be there for you too,” Haru gently placed her hand on his shoulder, a small smile on her face. “If you aren’t comfortable with talking to us about it, we understand.”

“Thanks. I should have been more open before…” he fiddled with his bangs, watching Makoto unlock the passenger door and pulled out a bag of snacks they had picked up yesterday. “I’ll tell you more about my parents tonight.”

“Thank you,” Haru squeezed his shoulder.

\--

Akira settled in his spot on the floor next to Ryuji. Their knees were pressed together, backs against the bed, sharing a bag of crazy colored popcorn, with Ann on his other side, leaning her head against his shoulder while she yawned. Futaba was across from him, now on her laptop, with Haru beside her, braiding Futaba’s hair. Makoto was on Futaba’s other side. She had been pointing at things on the screen since Futaba booted it up. Akira wondered what she was doing.

“I should explain what happened last night,” Akira started, getting everyone’s attention. He felt Morgana’s tail tap the top of his head while it flicked back and forth as the cat laid on the bed behind him. 

“You don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to,” Ann said, sitting up to look at him. “But I am kinda curious…” 

“I shouldn’t have tried to hide it,” Akira replied, resisting the urge to fiddle with his bangs. Ryuji said nothing, but continued to look at him, just like everyone else. “I’m sorry.”

“Dude, don’t say sorry, ain’t your fault,” Ryuji said quickly, not letting Akira blame himself. The others nodded their heads, waiting for Akira to continue. 

“My parents work a lot. They’ve both got demanding jobs and their careers are important to them. Once I was old enough to be by myself, they threw themselves back into work to make up for the time they had ‘lost’,” Akira explained, picking his words  
carefully. “They both have crazy schedules, so I’d only see them sometimes in the morning or late at night. I was by myself a lot, which I didn’t mind too much, but some nights…it would’ve been nice to have one of them home to eat dinner with. School life wasn’t much better. I was in a competitive school, so I didn’t have many friends. Before coming here, I didn’t think friends like you guys existed.” 

He felt like he was going to cry but he refused to let that happen. 

Again. 

But by the looks of it, Ann and Haru were going to be the ones that ended up crying. 

“Why didn’t you tell us?!” Ann questioned, furiously rubbing her eyes. 

“I didn’t want to tell you because you guys already had enough of your own problems to deal with. I could deal with mine by myself,” he admitted and felt an arm around his shoulders. 

“But you don’t have to,” Ryuji said, keeping his arm around him. “I get that ya weren’t used to have amazin’ friends like us, but ya got us now.”

“Exactly, you can rely on us and tell us anything!” Ann exclaimed and the others nodded in agreement. 

“You’ve done so much for us, we want to do the same for you,” Yusuke added and Akira felt his nerves disappear. 

“Thanks, you guys, really,” Akira said, wondering how he got so lucky. “It’s just weird to think that a year ago I was so…miserable and alone. Now I’ve defeated a god and got you guys.” 

“Awah, man,” Ryuji’s cheeks were red from embarrassment and Akira was so busy staring at how cute he looked that he didn’t notice everyone jumping in for a group hug until he was smothered beneath them. “Holy shit!” 

“I love you guys!” Ann cried, face against Akira’s shoulder and her arm around Ryuji who was knocked towards the center of the hug by Haru, who was hugging Akira’s other side. Yusuke was between her and Ryuji, with Makoto between Ann and Futaba.  
Morgana jumped down from the bed, landing half on Ryuji and half on Akira. 

“Damn cat, paws off my face!” Ryuji exclaimed, barely able to move. His head kept bumping Akira’s chin and he finally stopped squirming when Morgana got off of him. 

“A perfect masterpiece in group form,” Yusuke said, sighing happily. 

“I don’t think any of us thought we would ever find friends like this,” Makoto said, smiling at all of them, even with her face pressed against Ann’s shoulder. 

“Obviously people like us belong together,” Futaba was half on Ryuji’s back, using him as an anchor to keep her in the hug. 

“Well duh, it’s ‘cause we’re so awesome!” Ryuji exclaimed, right up against Akira. “Hey, stop pushing me, I’m already crushing Akira,” Ryuji turned his head to shoot Futaba a look. 

“Its fine, what’s a group hug if no one gets crushed?” Akira questioned, ignoring Futaba’s smirk and focusing on how nice it felt to be surrounded by people that cared about him. 

“Yeah I guess you’re right,” Ryuji mumbled and Akira could feel him relax against him. “Yusuke stop breathin’ in my damn ear!”

“Where am I supposed to breathe then?” Yusuke questioned as Futaba took a deep breath and blew on Ryuji’s neck. Ryuji let out a startled noise and pulled himself closer to Akira in an attempt to get away. It didn’t help much, since they were already half on top of one another already. 

“Dude!” Ryuji exclaimed and Ann laughed and blew into Ryuji’s ear the best she could. “Akira, man, make her stop!”

Akira needed to talk to his parents. There was no way he could leave them. 

\--

Akira couldn’t sleep. He kept staring up at the ceiling, making up scenarios about him talking to his parents. Or one parent. Or just their voicemail box. Most likely their voicemail box.  
He finally gave up and got out of bed, grabbing his phone from the nightstand, trying to be quiet as he tip toed around the bed to the balcony. He didn’t want to wake Ryuji up and make him listen to his problems—again. He opened the sliding door and glanced back at Ryuji. He was sprawled out on the bed, fast asleep. 

“I’ve got to talk to them,” he mumbled before stepping out onto the balcony and shutting the door. 

It was chilly, but didn’t mind it much. He leaned against the railing, watching the small waves crash against the sand. He turned his phone over and over in his hand, trying to work out what to say. How would his parents take it? Would Sojiro even allow him to stay? 

He could go back home for a year and push through it, then be done with his parents for good, but he didn’t want to waste a year back home. Thinking about being away from Ryuji made his heart hurt. He pulled his mother’s number up on his phone and called her, but it went to her voicemail. Typical. It was probably for the best, he really should talk to her in person about this. If she agreed, he could always take the train back. 

“Can’t sleep?” Akira turned to see Ryuji standing at the doorway, stepping out onto the balcony. He took a spot next to Akira, lightly brushing his arm against Akira’s. He looked at Ryuji, who offered up a small smile. 

“No, I keep thinking about having to go home,” Akira admitted and Ryuji’s smile faded. 

“Oh, yeah, we have to take you home soon…” Ryuji gripped the railing. “We’ll figure somethin’ out! You can’t go back to that place to be alone for another year.” 

“I don’t want to, but,” Akira sighed and looked back towards the ocean. “I’ll talk to her once I get home. It’s better to do it in person, not over the phone when she’s stressed at work.”

“You’re probably right,” Ryuji agreed, turning his gaze to the ocean. 

Akira’s mind drifted to earlier, after the hug was disbanded. Futaba was glued to her laptop and phone, which wasn’t all that strange, but Ryuji and Makoto both seemed very interested in what she was doing. Makoto even took the laptop a few times to type while Ryuji looked over her shoulder. Akira had wanted to ask Ryuji about it once they got back to the room, but he got caught up in their conversation and forgot until Ryuji was asleep.

“What were you guys doing on the laptop earlier?” Akira asked and Ryuji looked at him, a small shiver running down his back. 

“Nothin’ too interestin’. How are you not freezin’ out here?” Ryuji questioned, shivering again as the wind blew.”

“Let’s get back inside,” Akira decided it wasn’t worth it to investigate anymore, he could always ask Makoto and Futaba. He opened the door and Ryuji hurried inside, jumping onto the bed and yanking the covers over him as Akira slid the door shut behind him.

\--

“Looks like Futaba will be the late riser today,” Ann said when Yusuke sat down at the table for breakfast. 

“I was surprised she woke up so early yesterday,” Makoto replied and everyone else agreed. 

“Guess she stayed up too late working on whatever she was doing last night,” Akira said, eyeing the group. Judging by how they glanced at each other, Makoto and Ann both tensed up as well, the whole group was in on something. 

“Probably just some video game,” Ann waved it off with a smile. “So! What do we have planned for today?” 

Everyone begin chatting at once. It was the last day before they left tomorrow, and there was still a lot of stuff they wanted to do. Akira was more focused on what they were planning in secret than what they were planning for today, but he was sure he would  
find out eventually. He shouldn’t be focusing on that and waste his whole day thinking about it. 

\--

Akira slid into the van next to Yusuke with Ryuji following suit. He knew the next time they all piled into the van, they would be leaving without him. Yesterday had been fun, but bitter sweet.

“Everyone good to go?” Ann asked in the front seat, turning to look at them as Makoto started up the car. The morning had been quiet so far, everyone too busy thinking about their next destination and what it meant. 

“Yup!” Futaba said from the back, not bothering to look up from her phone. Makoto backed out of the parking spot and they were off. The ride was quiet and as they pulled into Akira’s hometown, the silence felt suffocating, so Akira began to point out places,  
anywhere and anything, just to keep the last moments he had with them more than just silent.

They pulled up to his house and he forced himself to open the van door and get out, staring at the ground as everyone followed his lead. Akira was about to start his goodbyes to everyone when the door to house opened and his mother appeared. 

“Very punctual,” he heard her mumble as she approached them. He knew his expression was one of surprise, because she raised her eyebrows at him. “I took the day off, I wanted to meet your friends,” she told him, putting her hand on his shoulder and squeezing gently, affectionately. Was this really his mother?

He wanted to ask her how she knew when he was arriving, or how she knew he was coming home with friends, but he didn’t have any time for that as she jumped in to introducing herself. 

“You all must be tired, come on in. I’ve never met any of Akira’s friends before,” she must have taken the previous day off too, she seemed far more energized that usual. The others followed her, slipping off their shoes as they entered the house.

“Wow, it’s so pretty,” Ann commented, looking around once Akira shut the door behind them. 

“Thank you, Akira’s father likes to keep up with whatever design trend is going on,” his mother replied, guiding them into living room. “Let me go get some refreshments.”

“I’ll help!” Makoto offered quickly, following her into the kitchen. Akira stood in the foyer, confused out of his mind. 

“She’s friendly,” Morgana said, hoping out of the bag. Oh, he forgot to mention to his mother that he was bringing a cat home. Well, they had cats before, it’s not like she would notice him too much. 

“Yeah, I wasn’t expectin’ that,” Ryuji said and sat down on the couch next to Futaba, who wasn’t on her phone for once. 

“Hm,” Akira mumbled, hearing the soft voices of his mother and Makoto in the kitchen as he moved to the living room. His mother wasn’t a naturally mean person, she could just be very blunt and short, and was often overworked. Still, she wasn’t usually like  
this. Maybe she was trying to make up for not knowing when he was due home?

“She’s really pretty,” Haru told Akira once he joined them on the couch. “You have her eyes.”

“Thanks,” he offered her a small smile, trying to kick the mood he was in. He doubt it would go away, they all knew how this day was going to end. 

Yusuke begin talking about how the furniture was placed in the room and Akira was too amused by Ryuji’s expressions that he didn’t notice how much time had passed since his mom and Makoto went to the kitchen. 

“Here we go,” his mother came back into the room with Makoto. She sat the tray on the table and everyone said their thanks while they grabbed their drinks. Makoto shot Futaba a look as she sat on the couch with her drink. 

The others didn’t seem as awkward as Akira thought they would be. They appeared more nervous than anything else, which was odd. He felt awkward, which he shouldn’t, but everything felt so foreign. Even when his mother put her hand on her shoulder, something she always used to do. Maybe it was because they left on bad terms? 

“This is quite the group you’ve gathered, it’s a little strange to have so many teenagers in my house. I’m not usually home when Akira brings friends over,” his mother started, taking a seat in her favorite chair. She brushed her hands out of her face and Akira noticed she felt a little awkward too. He was relieved he wasn’t the only one. “Who was the first friend?”

“Heh, guess that was me?” Ryuji questioned, getting everyone’s attention. “Me, then the cat,” he nodded towards Morgana, who had remained sitting on the floor. 

“Sojiro mentioned the cat, Morgana, was it?” She reached down and patted the floor. Morgana trotted over to her, purring when she scratched his ears. 

She always favored cats. 

“So where did you two meet at? School?” She continued, picking Morgana up and putting him in her lap so she could continue scratching him without having to lean over. Ryuji and Akira looked at each other, both chuckling and smiling. 

“Yeah—yes, we met at school,” Ryuji corrected himself, obviously trying to give a good first impression. “We weren’t in the same class, we met on our way to school,” his mother nodded her head, looking back and forth between the two of them. 

“And they’ve been inseparable ever since,” Ann joked, teasing both of them. “After they found Morgana, I joined in. Akira and I were in the same class, I sat in front of him.” They went around telling her how they met Akira, all of which were funny to hear since they had to leave out any mentions of the Phantom Thieves. 

“What an interesting group,” his mother said after Haru finished, still scratching Morgana’s head. “Well, I’m sure you are all hungry, I’ll make you some lunch.” 

“May I help?” Haru offered, standing while Morgana jumped off his mother’s lap. 

“Me too!” Futaba jumped up, raising her hand in the air. 

“I would appreciate it,” his mother said while the three of them went into the kitchen. The others let out sighs, worrying Akira. 

“Are you guys okay?” Akira asked when she was out of earshot. “You don’t have to be so nervous, she’s courteous in front of guests.”

“We just want to make a good impression,” Makoto said, brushing some of her hair behind her ear. 

“Why though?” Akira wasn’t understanding. It didn’t matter whether she liked them or not, it wasn’t like they would be coming over every weekend. If anything, he would be the one to go visit them on breaks. 

“Why wouldn’t we?” Ann answered his question with a question and he shrugged. “We don’t want to be rude to your mother.”

“Yeah, we want her to like us, or she won’t let you come visit or let us come visit,” Ryuji told him, rubbing his hands on his knees. It was a good reason, but they seemed a little too nervous just for that. He would go visit them whether his parents would allow it or not. 

“Why don’t you show us your room? I know a majority of your stuff is still back in Tokyo, but,” Ann shrugged and Akira stood. 

“Sure, it’ll probably be a while before lunch is ready. Can Futaba even cook?” He questioned as the others got up and followed him out of the living room. 

“RUDE!” Futaba called out to him down the hall, making them all laugh as they went up the stairs. 

“Sorry if it’s dusty,” Akira apologized once he got to his room. It probably hadn’t been touched since he left a year ago. He opened the door and entered his room, surprised at the lack of dust. His bookshelf, desk, and nightstand were all free from dust, and the  
air smelled fresh, like the window had been open recently. 

“I guess your parents kept it tidy?” Makoto questioned, looking around the room. It was almost bare, and she knew a majority of his stuff was still back at LeBlanc, but, all that stuff was stuff he had picked up in Tokyo. “I guess this does fit you,” she mumbled. 

Lunch was good, if not a little confusing. His mother seemed incredibly interested in his life back in Tokyo. 

Which was odd. 

She had been completely detached from him the moment he was put on probation and they sent him off. She hadn’t called, or emailed, or even texted him during the year he was gone. 

And his friends were all so…nervous? And strangely nice? Well they were nice all the time but they were being way too nice and adult friendly. Ann and Ryuji almost broke their necks after lunch to help his mom clean up everything. It was like they were walking on glass up until they were standing by the front door, then they all look defeated. 

He couldn’t blame them for the mood drop, he was feeling it too. He wasn’t ready to say goodbye to any of them, but he had to. Morgana was sitting next to him on the floor, already having refused his argument to go back to Tokyo with the others. 

“We’ll see each other soon!” Ann promised, tightly hugging him. 

“Yeah man, I told you I’d come visit whenever you wanted to see me!” Ryuji said, trying to be cheerful as Ann let him go and turned away, wiping a few tears away from her eyes. Akira could see how forced the positivity was but he didn’t call him out on it. 

“I always want to see you,” he mumbled when Ryuji engulfed him in a hug. It was tighter than Ann’s hug and it hurt more than anyone else’s goodbye. He wished he had more time with Ryuji, he wished not everyone was around, especially his mom, so he could have just one private moment with him. “Promise not to go befriend another transfer student and forget all about me?”

“Don’t joke! No one could ever replace you, you know that,” Ryuji said and squeezed tighter. “I’m goin’ miss you, but it’ll be alright. You goin’ call?”

“Everyday,” Akira replied softly and Ryuji gave him one last squeeze before he let go. Akira felt a chill run down his body when he took a step back. 

“It was very lovely to meet all of you,” his mother said and they took that as their cue to leave. They all gave him one last sad look before they filed out the door, thanking his mother for her hospitality as they went. 

Once the door shut behind Ryuji, who had given Akira the most heartbroken look, Akira sighed deeply and turned to go upstairs. 

“Let’s talk for a minute,” his mother said and he wanted to argue but that wasn’t a good idea, even if he wanted to be alone and cry for a few hours. She crossed her arm and raised her eyebrows until Akira met her eyes. “Are you going to mope around the  
house for the next year?” 

“Yes,” Akira answered honestly, pushing his glasses up a bit. “Both me and the cat will mope.”

“I miss Lady Annnnnn,” Mona cried at that moment. He sure knew how to really sound sad when he wanted to. His mother side eyed Mona before sighing.

“Were you really top of your class at Shujin?”

“Yes.”

“Worked at the flower shop?”

“Yes.”

“Helped Sojiro at LeBlanc?”

“Yes.” 

“Will you keep your grades up?” She asked after a pause and Akira furrowed his brows in confusion. Did she mean here or….? “Will you keep your grades up?"

“Yes.”

“And you’ll keep up your job and continue to help Sojiro out?”

What? 

“I…what?” Akira questioned, not understanding. 

“Will you keep up that job and continue to help Sojiro out? I don’t want to get another call from him,” She replied, shaking her head. 

“Another?” He asked, trying not to feel hopeful about the situation. Was she really giving him a chance to stay in Tokyo? 

“Yes, another. He called me yesterday, asking if you could stay with him in Tokyo. He said you were helpful around the café and that Futaba really enjoyed having you around. He also said he would miss the cat,” She mumbled the last part. “Your friends were disappointed all their good behavior seemed to not faze my decision but, I could tell how much they would miss you, and you would miss them,” she sighed and rubbed the bridge of her nose, looking to be thinking. “I doubt we could ever return to our normal routine that we had a year ago, and I’m sure your studies will suffer if you stay here.”

Was she being serious?

“Go,” she waved her hand towards the door.

“F-for real!?” He exclaimed without thinking, catching them both by surprise at the outburst. Ryuji really had rubbed off on him.

“You would be miserable here, maybe you have been all along and your father and I just never took the time to notice. You will spend Christmas with us, and I want updates on your grades after your exams,” She said, keeping a firm tone.  
Akira felt like he was going to cry, actually, he was pretty sure he was crying. He hugged his mom and she was stiff for a second, before she put her hand on his back. “Thank you,” he said, his heart beating rapidly in his chest.

“Hurry on now, they should still be in the driveway.” 

“Mona, let’s go!” He pulled away from his mom as Mona leapt into his bag that was sitting by the door.

“Let me know when you get back to Tokyo,” his mother said and he was out the door in a flash. 

“HOLD UP!” He heard Ryuji yell and Makoto looked terrified as she hit the brake, halfway out of his driveway. Ryuji threw open the van door and stared at Akira with a hopeful look in his eyes. “Are you…?”

“Yeah, I’m coming home,” Akira said, trying hard not cry out of sheer happiness as he hurried to the van and climbed in, instantly engulfed in hugs from everyone. 

“We’re celebrating tonight!! I knew our plan would work!” Futaba cheered as she shut the door and Makato pulled out of the driveway. 

\--

Ryuji had not moved from his side since they had gotten back to the hotel. It was a good halfway point to Tokyo, and who would argue against one more night at the beach? 

“Man when you came outside….I felt like my heart stopped,” Ryuji said, kicking up some sand with his feet. They had decided to take a walk on the beach after dinner, and everyone was ahead of them. Futaba and Ann kept turning around and giggling at them. 

Ryuji’s hand kept brushing against Akira’s and every time Akira just wanted to hold onto it.

“When you left it felt like my heart had stopped,” Akira said and then paused as Ryuji turned to look at him. “This whole time, I was so…upset with the thought of leaving everyone and my life in Tokyo, but when I thought about not getting to see you every day…it hurt, so much.” 

“Oh man, I am so relieved,” Ryuji said, a hand over his heart. “I was tryin’ not to be all sad but I felt like my world was kinda crashin’ down, especially when I found out how much ya didn’t wanna go back home,” Ryuji confessed and Akira stopped walking and smiled at him. 

“So I really am your world?” Akira teased and Ryuji rolled his eyes, but didn’t deny it. His felt his heart burst, Ryuji was perfect. “Because you’re mine.”

“Ugh! That was so cheesy!” Ryuji exclaimed and turned away as Akira leaned in, smiling at the blond. “I like you, a lot, okay! Like, a lot! That’s what I was trying to say!”

Akira reached out and slid their fingers together, holding onto Ryuji’s hand tightly. “I was trying to tell you the same thing, Ryuji. After everything we've been through, I would be crazy to not have feelings for you. I want to be with you, and I want to stay right by your side, all the time. Is that okay?”

“For real?” Ryuji asked, eyes wide and Akira nodded his head and leaned in close to him. 

“For real, Ryuji,” Akira said quietly and gave Ryuji a soft smile when he saw the blond’s eyes tear up. 

“W-Well yeah! Of course! Of course it is!!” Ryuji exclaimed and hugged Akira so tightly, they both almost fell over. Akira squeezed him back and he felt this warmth wash over him. 

He finally found his place in the world, right next to his best friend, and he would never move from that spot.


End file.
